Igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes, &amp;c.



m somozs. PATENTED Nov 28, 1905.

' W. T. UNGEA IGNITING MECHANISM FOR AIR TORPEDOES; aw.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 2, 1903.

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PATENTED Nov. 28, 1905.

W. T. UNGE. I IGNITING MECHANISM FOR AIR TORPEDOES, 82:0.

APILIUATION FILED OUT. 2. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

hwEIvToR I WITNESSES NrrnD s ra rns WILHELM 'rHEoDoR UNGE, or STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.

lawn-me MECHANISM Foe AIR-TORPEDOES, duct,

specification.

' The invention refers to a mechanism or fuse for igniting the charge in air-torpedoes, applicable also for other'projectiles. An igniting mechanismior fuse for this purpose must be constructed .so as to be quite safe if subj ected to shock during transport or storage and so as not to be set for operation until after the air-torpedo has been propelled. Moreover, it

, -must ignite the charge only at or after the descent of the air-torpedo into the water or at the impactif the torpedo strikes against a solid body. The fuse is set for operation or the air-torpedo is armed, as it is called, not by the shock that may be imparted to the torpedo when it is propelled, but by the rotation of thetorpedo, the centrifugal force removing the obstructions which protect the igniting material from too early contact with the firing-pin. 'By the present invention, the arming having thus been effected, the mechanism causes igniti'ounot only on descent of the airtorpedo against a solid body, but also on descent into Water into such a manner that in the first case aso-called, hammer provided with a firing-pin is thrown against the igniting material, and in thelatter case a similar hammer provided with the igniting material is thrown against the firing-pin,orjthe reverse. The collision between the firing-pin and igniting material when the air-torpedo strikes against a solid body occurs in the known manner by the 9 pin, or it may be the igniting material.

inertia of the hammer which carries the firing- On the descent of the air-torpedo. into water the said collision is brought about by a rush of water through a hole in the point or front end Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 2, 1903. Serial to. 175,486.

pistonif the latter throws theffiring-pin directly into contact with the igniting material. If the air-torpedo is intended only to strike .down into water, as in countermining or the like, there may be a stationary firing-pin or a stationary ignitingmaterial instead of the hammer.

Patented 'Nov. 28, 1905. I

As the time required forthe motion of the piston, and it may be for compressing and releasing the spring, depends on how fast the water rushes into the cylinder, the ignition may be timed by varying the area of the inlet for the water, so that the depth under the surface of the water at which theair-torpedo is to explode may be predetermined.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown, by way of example only, two forms of the inventionviz., one wherein the water rushing into the air-torpedo is led behind the piston into a cylinder and one wherein the Water is led directly on the front end of the piston. In both cases aspring is used for effecting the contact between the firing-pin and the igniting material. Boththe mechan isms shown are also arranged for ignitionon striking against a solid body. i

Figure l is a longitudinal section of the first-mentioned form on the line at of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 represents an elevation of a detail of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig." 1 on the line 0 (1. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the second form, and Fig. 7 is an elevation. thereof in part broken away. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line cf of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. l, 1 is a portion of the front part of the head of an air-torpedo.

2 is the bottom piece of the fuse, which piece'is screwed on the detonator or on the casing of the main charge and is provided with a central cylindrical tube 3. In the rear end of this tube 3 a percussion-hammer t with a firing-pin 5 is arranged in the usual way.

4 is a Supporting-ring for the rear end of -the hammer 4:. In the-front end ofthe tube 3 is'a movable hammer ,6, having a recess 7 for the igniting material. This hammer- 6 is tubular at the front end and can slide but not turn in the tube 3, being guidedr'ectilinearly by the pin 8, passing through a'slot 9 in' the tube 3. In the tubular part of the hammer 6 there is a piston-10, from which a pin 11 projects through an inclined slot in the wall of the tubular part and, also through a similar inclined slot 12 in thewall of the tube '3. These slots also have a rectilinear rearward extension 13. (The slot 12 13 is shown in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. 1.)

14 is a tongue out out from the wall of the tubular part of the hammer 6 and pressed inward by spring action. The piston has a rectangular'perforation or hole 15, through which passes a rod 16, provided at its end with a cross-piece 17, capable of passing through the hole 15. (See Figs. 4 and 5.) The rod 16 extends through a stuffing-box 18 at the end of a hollow cylinder 19, fixed to the front end of the tube 3, and is rigidly fixed to a piston 20, movable rectilinearly in 'the cylinder 19, being guided by a rib21 on the wall of the cylinder fitting a recess in the piston 26. Into the rear end of the cylinder 19 open two conduits 22, leading from a chamber 24 at the forward portion of the cover 23 of the cylinder, into which chamber enters a tube 26, communicating with the inlet-hole 25.

27 represents packing-rings.

The inlet-hole is through a plug 28, screwed into the head of the air-torpedo.

29 represents packing-rings under the flange 30 of the tube 26. 1

31 represents air-holes in the front end of the cylinder 19. v

32 is a helical spring between the piston 10 and stufiing-box 18.

33 33 are two pieces, herein called safetywings, which can rotate round pins 34'34,iixed into the bottom piece. Parts of these pieces project through openings 35 in the tube 3, and spiral springs 36 round the pins 34 tend to keep these parts against each other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In their normal position they lie between the firing-pin 5 and igniting material, as shown in Fig. 1, thus preventing the former from firing the latter during transport or storage. The wings 33 are extended behind the point of rotation and are connected by two links 37 37, as shown,

so that they must move outward or open simultaneously when the torpedo has attained a sufiiciently rapid rotation. In order to keep the wings in the open position, there are arranged on the bottom piece 2 under the wings two elastic tongues 38 38, and on the wings there are provided two notches 39 39,

into which the tongues snap when the Wings 1 are open, so that the wings cannot close again. The fuse that is being armed during the rotation acts in the following manner on descent of the air torpedo into water: The water rushes through the hole 25 and tube 2& into the chamber 24, passing from there through the conduits 22 into the cylinder 19 behind the piston 20. The piston is thus pressed forward, carrying with it the piston-stem 16, whose cross-piece 17 lies in such a position relatively to the hole 15 in the piston 10 as to carry the latter along with it, thereby compressing the spring 32. the piston 10 in a vertical section and plan,

1-51, made in the wall Figs. 4 and 5 show i I l l extension, found to'be necessary in putting respectively, with the stem 16 and cross-piece 17 in the said position. During the forward movement of the piston 10 the pin 11 must follow the slot 12, and consequently the piston 10 must rotate round the stem 16. As soon as the piston 10 has passed the end of the tongue 14 the latter springs inward beneath the pis-- ton 10. The piston 20 having been moved forward by the inflowing water so far that the piston 10 has been rotated by the slot 12 until the cross-piece 17 is coincident with the hole 15 and the pin 11 is in line with the straight slot 13, the piston 10'is pushed back over the cross-piece 17 by the spring 32 and strikes against the end of the tongue 14, thus throwing the hammer 6,w ith the igniting material, against the tiring-pin 5 and causing ignition. On striking against a solid body the hammer 4, with firing-pin 5, is thrown against the igniting material in the hammerfi in the usual way, the hammer 6 being held by the pin 8 in the slot 9. In both cases the tire produced in this manner rushes through the holes 40 40 and the opening 40" in the hammer 4 and extends to the bursting charge proper or its igniting device.

The other form of the invention, the inflowing water is led directly to the front side of the piston, will now be described so far as its parts diifer from those already described; reference being made to Figs. 6, 7,- and 8, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same numerals as in Fig. 1.

The central tube 3 in the bottom piece 2 in this case is not so long and is provided at the front end with a screwed sleeve with internal flange 41, against which projections 42 on the hammer 6 can rest. The hammer 6 is tubular only in the front end in order to receijethe rear end of the striking-spring 32. The cylinder 19, supported on the "bottom piece 2, is open at the front end and communicates there directly with the chamber 24. The piston 20 has guiderods 44,- surrounded by helical springs 43 and passing through holes in a par tition 45. The rear end of-tlie piston 20 has a sleeve 46 surrounding the front part of the hammer 6, which it guides.

has a laterally projecting pin 47 resting wherein s The sleeve 46 s also surrounds the spring 32, that-bears at its 1 5' againstthe partition 45 and passing through an inclined slot 48 in the sleeve 46. From the upper part of this inclined slot 48 a straight slot 49 runs rearward in the longitudinal dlrection, so that the entire slot has the same form as the slot 12 13 in the tube 3 of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The pin 47 also passes through a transverse straight slot 50 in the wall of the cylinder 19, (see Fig. 7,

and this slot 50 ends in another straight slot of the cylinder in the longitudinal direction, with a slight forward the parts together. These slots 50 51 are situated in relation to the slots 48 49 in such a manner that the pin 47 continues in the slot 50 as long as the pin is in the inclined slot 48; but when the pin is in line with the slot 49 it also enters the longitudinal slot 51. From this slot the partition 45 is cut out by a radial opening 52 of such a width that the pin 47 can pass through it. In this form of the invention another device is shown for holding the safetywings 33 33 when by rotation of the air-torpedo they are turned into the open position. It consists of two plates 54, capable of being rotated round one of the pins 53 of each link 37, respectively, the said plates being also thrown outward during the rotation of the torpedo. .Theyare of such a shape as to clasp a pin 55, fixed to the bottom piece 2, when the wings 33 33 have been sufficiently opened, (see the position shown in full lines in Fig. 8,) and thereby prevent the wings 33 from returning to the normal position between the firing-pin and igniting material, the

said position being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. This fuse operates in the following manner on descent of the air-torpedo into water: The water rushes through the inlethole 25 and tube 26 into the chamber 24, tilling the latter and forcing the piston 20 rearward. With the piston 20 moves the sleeve 46, and the front wall of the inclined slot 48 presses against the pin 4:7, forcing the latter, which bears against the partition45, to turn in the slot 50. (See Fig. 7.) During the rearward movement of the piston 20 the spring 32 is compressed gradually. When the piston 20 has moved rearward so far that the pin 47 has entered the longitudinal slot 51, about which time the pin 47 has also arrived in line with the slot 49 in the sleeve 46 and right above the opening 52 in the partition 45, the spring 32 throws the hammer 6- rearward against the firing-pin 5, which bears against the ring 4*, and ignition occurs.

On descent against a solid body the percussion-hammer 4:, from its inertia, is thrown against the igniting material in the hammer 6, the latter being held by its projections 42, bearing against the flange 4:1, and ignition occurs, the fire being led in the above-d escribed way to the charge of the torpedo. If it is desired to insure greater certainty of ignition, two or more similar devices, each with an inlet-hole for the water, may he provided. In the forms shown this inlet-hole is arranged ina screw-plug, and by providing severa'hplugs with holes of difierent size the area of the inlet-hole may be differed by changing the plugs. The necessary change, however, may be effected in any other way.

I claim as my inventi0n- 1. An igniting mechanism for airtorpedoes, and the like, comprising a 't'use-bodysupporting an inertia-operated percussion-hammer adapted to be operated on striking a solid body, in combination with a cylinder having a piston therein and hammer therefor, said piston being open to outside influences whereby upon plunging into water, the water will operate the piston and hammer.

2. An igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes or the like, comprising a fuse-body supporting a firing-pin, a hammer and a cylinder having a piston therein for the said hammer,

ing mounted in said cylinder and open to out side influences on the side away from "the nose of the torpedo, and means whereby the piston wiil be moved forwardly upon the plunging of the torpedo into water.

4. An igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes and the like, comprising 'a cylinder, a fuse: body supporting a firing-pin, a hammer and a piston within said cylinder for the hammer, said piston being open to outside influences, an opening in the nose of the torpedo, a removable plug therein, and means to vary the area of the opening'between the piston and the outside influences.

5. Anigniting mechanism for air-torpedoes and the like, comprising a iuse-body supporting a-firing-pin, and a hammer, in combination with a cylinder, a piston working therein,

said cylinder being in communication with a hole in the fore end of the projectile open to outside influences, means for varyingthe area of said hole, a spring for actuating the-ham-- mer and compressed by the piston, and means for releasing the hammer when said spring has been properly compressed.

6. An igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes and the like, comprising a cylinder, a fusebody supporting a firing-pin, and a hammer provided with a recess'forthe igniting mate rial within said body, in combination with a piston working in said.cylinder, said 'piston being open to outside influences, for operating the same, a spring for actuating said hammer adapted to be compressed by said piston, and means for releasing sa d hammer when said spring has been sutficiently compressed.

7 An igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes and the like, comprising a cylinder and a fusebody supporting firingmeans therein, in combination with a piston working in said cylinder, said piston being open to' outside influences adapted to actuate the said piston in said cylinder for releasing said firing means 8. An igniting mechanism for airrtorpedoes and the like, comprising a cylinder, a fuse-' body supporting tiring means therein, and a piston within said cylinder for actuating'said means, said piston being open to outside influences through a hole in the forward end 9. An igniting mechanism for air-torpedoes I and thelike, comprising-a cylinder, a fuse body supporting a'firi'ngfpin therein, and a spring-actuated hammer provided with a recess forthe igniting material, in combination with a piston working in said cylinder, a hole in the end of the projectile in communication with said cylinder and with external influences apted to'actuate said piston and comsoepse press the spring of said spring-actuated hammer on entering the water, and means for releasing said hammer when its spring has been sufliciently compressed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM THEODOR UNGE.

Witnesses:

' A. HELJESTRAND,

S. SOMMAR. 

